Preregistration for the Meet is now closed. Walk-in registration will still be accepted at the door. You know the time and place, so come on down!

Note: even though the link to the registration sign-up/payment page might still be working (until Jude gets a chance to disable it), we ask that you not use it: we won't have a premade badge for you, and the record of your late registration might not make it over to the hotel. If we don't have your badge and you show up saying "no, really, I already paid," it's just going to mess us up and slow down registration. So from this point on, please just register at the door.

At last, and just in time for the holidays, registration is open for the Second Annual International Head-Fi Meet, taking place April 21-22, 2007 at the Radisson Hotel San Jose Airport, located in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.

The First International Meet earlier this year in New York was such a success that we knew we'd have to go all-out to meet your expectations the second time around! As at the previous meet, we'll have a large main room with vendor tables and member setups, but we're adding a large dedicated high-end listening room as well, a series of vendor-sponsored demo rooms, a room featuring exciting speakers on audiophile subjects, and a dedicated lounge area where you can meet, talk and generally hang out. We're going to be organizing BBQ lunches both days, and a Saturday evening dinner buffet followed by a panel discussion by your favorite headphone amp makers that promises to be lively and entertaining. Also, some of the vendors will be giving away door prizes to a number of our lucky attendees.

All this goodness does come at a price: the cost to attend the meet is $20*, which covers attendance for the full two days. Students bearing a student ID card that is valid on the days of the meet are eligible for reduced-price registration at $10*. Meal tickets will be sold separately, and we'll be announcing those details later on.

By instituting this cover charge we are trying to accomplish two goals: (1) we want to make the meet pay for itself while substantially expanding its scope, and (2) we want to make some money for Head-Fi, which as many of you know has substantially expanded over the last year, costing more in both hardware and bandwidth. In return, we intend to give you an absolutely insane audiophile listening and social experience you'll treasure for a long time to come.

We hope you'll register early, both so that we can start filling up the coffers in preparation for our upcoming expenses, and so that we can start showing our vendors and sponsors the level of participation that this event will generate (not that they have any doubts, but numbers never hurt). Of course, there is also the risk that the numbers will grow so big we have to shut off registration, so don't be left out in the cold! And anyway, won't you feel good knowing exactly what you'll be doing next April 21st and 22nd?

To make this as easy as possible, registration and payment for the International Meet is available right here on Head-Fi, alongside the Contributing Membership subscriptions (say...have you re-upped lately?). Just go to the link below, order conference registration, pay through PayPal (using either a PayPal account or a credit card), and Boom! you're registered. Now isn't that simple? What better holiday gift for yourself, or, better yet, drop a hint (with this link) to someone who loves you!

Lodging will be available at the hotel at special Head-Fi Meet rates, and we'll post the details soon in a separate thread. Travel arrangements are up to you, but we have lined up a special International Meet travel agent who will do his best to handle your needs and get you conference discounts and group rates as available. Please look for the travel thread coming soon!

See you all at the Meet!

*For those of you who already registered at the initial pricing, contact me if you want a refund. Otherwise, you will just be helping out that little bit extra and we will put an extra smiley on your name badges!

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What meet is this? Is this the registration policy for all meets?
This registration process is for the 2007 International Head-Fi Meet in San Jose, California April 21-22only. Any other meetups are subject entirely to their own rules (which are generally pretty open except for space considerations). For meetings other than the International Meet, contact the specific meet's organizer(s) for details.

I'm bringing someone. How do I register for two people instead of just one?Edit: updated 3/10/07 There are two ways. One, of course, is to egister for yourself, and ask your companion to join Head-Fi and register separately. The other is to register for yourself and then return to the registration page and sign up for the "Guest Admission (Admit One Guest)" subscription. (You can't see this subscription until you're done registering yourself.) More details are in post 107.

How do I know if I qualify for the student rate?
You qualify if you will be able to show a legitimate student ID that is valid on the dates of the Meet. It does not have to be from a local, California, or USA school.

I'm coming from out of town. How do I get from the airport to the meet? Where do I stay? How much will it cost?
See the Meet Travel Thread for detailed answers (or in some cases answers-in-progress) to these. In summary:
- The meet is at the Radisson San Jose Airport, a short shuttle (or cab) ride from the airport.
- Rooms at the Radisson will be available at a reduced rate.
- Rooms at a nearby Best Western will be available at a somewhat lower rate. There will be a shuttle to the Radisson or it shouldn't be hard to scrounge rides between the two.
- San Francisco and Oakland airports are also within driving distance. Of the two, San Francisco is closer.

I think I can come, but I'm not sure. Can I register and get a refund if I can't come?
Yes. At this time registration fees are refundable. It is possible that at a later time we will need to tighten down on that policy, but we hope to put that off until the last 30 days, if we have to do it at all. If we find we have to clamp down on refunds, we'll post that information as early as possible so that people have a chance to give final consideration to their plans.

Can I register for just one of the two days?
No. The registration is for the Meet as a whole, not specific days of the meet.

I don't have a PayPal account. How can I register?
You can use a credit card. Don't be spooked by the PayPal logo during the registration process - they're processing the payment, but your payment mechanism can be either a credit card or a PayPal account.

I didn't type in my username anywhere when I registered. How will you know I've paid?
Since you're registering through Head-Fi's built-in system (the same one we use for Contributing Memberships), your username was automatically captured during the registration process. That's one of the main reasons we did registration this way -- so payments wouldn't get lost.

I want to bring some gear. Do I get table space assigned to me, or what?
We'll be opening a thread about this soon. You don't automatically get table space; you'll need to apply for it in advance. We're trying to design a fair mechanism for this given that the amount of table space is limited (...and to judge from all previous meets, the amount of member enthusiasm isn't).

Is the meet filled up yet? Can I still register?
The meet is not filled up (we have a total of around 400 slots). You can still register. When we start to get close to filling up, we will post that information prominently so that people who haven't finalized their plans get one last chance. But we urge you not to put off registration any longer than you absolutely have to.

Students bearing a student ID card that is valid on the days of the meet are eligible for reduced-price registration at $20.

I'm a bit confused by this. Are you referring to students that go to the local school/university (assuming that the meet is located near one of these institutions, so they get a discount)? Or is it just in general to make the meet more accessible to the younger audience?

I'm a bit confused by this. Are you referring to students that go to the local school/university (assuming that the meet is located near one of these institutions, so they get a discount)? Or is it just in general to make the meet more accessible to the younger audience?

i think it's for anyone who qualifies as a student on the days of the meet, regardless of where they go to school. i'm assuming this is to ease the financial burden to students.

Eight registered attendees so far! Nice to see that in addition California members, we already have members registered from Massachusetts, New York, Michigan and the Cayman Islands. Check HERE to see who is registered!

Any provision for walk-up, one day attendees? There's an outside chance I'll be in CA visiting my sister that week and would drop by if time permits. But I definitely won't be there both days and don't want to take up a spot that could be used otherwise.